Not quite at 100% yet

I will freely admit that I don't have my life all put together, packaged up in a neat little 'perfect' package. In fact, there are frayed edges, places where the seams are coming apart, and some pretty messy 'junk drawers' in my life! How about you? Do you have a 'perfect' package going on? Or are you probably a little like me - still not quite as 'put together' as you'd like, but well on your way?

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. (Philippians 3:14)

The real crux of it all is that we are 'well underway'. We aren't turning back and we aren't going to get off on tangents, going who knows where. The more we commit to this walk with Jesus, the more we realize that we aren't as 'put together' as we might have thought. The closer we draw into his presence, the more we realize there are just parts of us that are yet to be touched as deeply by his grace and presence as they need to be.

Anyone who puts forward the façade of having their life all 'put together' in a neat little 'perfect' package is really trying to pull the wool over your eyes. There is only one who walked out a perfect life on this earth and he went to the cross! It is sometimes viewed as a weakness to admit we don't have our lives as 'put together' as some might imagine it to be, but there is also something quite liberating in being truthful about how 'imperfectly' you live on occasion. 

I struggle with my thoughts - how about you? I let my thoughts go down a path of comparing myself to another - how about you? I get all wrapped up in what they have done or said, over-emphasizing the stuff I find fault with - how about you? I struggle with my motives at times - how about you? I sometimes want something I know I shouldn't pursue, but find it hard to let go of that internal motivation to pursue that wrong path - how about you?

You see, we aren't always going to have 'perfect' packages, are we? We are going to get stuff wrong. We are going to go against the grain on occasion. We are going to make incorrect choices or dwell way too long on stuff we should have let go of a long time ago. The good news is that once we set our feet on the path TOWARD right-living (righteousness), we are not walking out that path alone - Jesus and the Holy Spirit are right there with us - helping us get the 'package' a little closer to perfect with each step we take. Just keep walking, my friends - we won't get it right 100% of the time - but we are well underway. Just sayin!

A noodle lesson

It was Voltaire who reminded us, "Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time," but I'd have to say that perfection requires more than the hand of time. It requires the hand of God in our lives. Voltaire was right in his supposition that perfection is something that is attained in very slow progress at times, quicker at others. It is in the passage of time that we begin to see things change. I made macaroni and cheese last night, something I don't treat myself to very often, but I just had a hankering for it. If you have cooked pasta, you know that it requires the water to boil a while in order to soften the hard outer shell of the noodle, then in time the inner portion becomes affected by the heated water. If you leave it too long, you get mush. It is somewhere slightly between 'hard inside' and 'mush' that you reach 'perfection' with the noodle. If you want the best texture and taste to your pasta, you watch and wait, then remove it from the heat at just the right time. God is kind of like that in our lives - he watches and waits, then he removes us from the heat at just the right time so that what is produced in our lives is 'perfection' - coming by slow degrees!

I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world. (Philippians 1:6)

God's work within us might seem to be coming in fits and starts, but let me assure that his work of bringing our lives into alignment with his comes in slow degrees. He could just wave some "Holy Wand" of magical spiritual power, making us all not only all cleaned up on the inside, but feeling like we are cleaned up, as well. He could wave that magic wand again and we'd never sin again, but how would that be the right thing to do? If you have ever seen someone raised with a silver spoon in their hand, receiving every want or wish on a silver platter, never having to work for anything, you might have observed them to be a little too self-centered and even a little unappreciative of what they have received. They never had to put in any effort to get whatever it was, so their appreciation of the thing they possess is not the same as that of someone who has had to save up for the exact same thing. I had to save for my first car, being able to afford not only the car, but the insurance, as well. I remember driving away from the place I bought it, busting at the seams because I owned this ugly brownish gold Dodge. It took me months and months to save up, making the right connection with a mechanic who rebuilt engines and who was willing to cut me a good deal. Now, it was mine.

The work that went into owning the car was on my part. The saving up was on my part. The long hours put in to earn the wages was on my part. The search for affordable insurance was on my part. I believe the connection made with the Sargent Major who owned the mechanic shop as a side business was on God's part. I would have been too timid to make that connection in those days, but God opened those doors for me. This man and his wife saw something in me they wanted to bless and I believe God created that relationship. That opportunity was a God-thing. Yes, I did my part, but God had a huge part in it! The growth we experience spiritually is not without our own effort, even though it begins with a 'God-thing' and often ends with a 'God-thing', the 'in-between' requires some slow progress on our part! The hard part for us is being patient in the 'heat' of the process - we see the effect of the 'heat' affecting us, much like the outside of the noodle in the boiling water. The thing we forget is that the 'work' of perfecting that thing within our character isn't done until the 'hardness' inside is also made soft in the process. When we reach that point, be confident God will remove us from the heat. Just sayin!

Perfection this side of heaven?

Dr. Brene Brown reminds us, "You're imperfect, and you're wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging." None of us is perfect - none of us is "just right" when it comes to where we have been, are right now, or even where we are headed. Along the way, we have made a few missteps, created a little chaos in our lives, allowed words to flow forth from our mouths that ought not to have been spoken, and found fault in others for the same thing we do ourselves. Dr. Brown reminds us we find our true sense of belonging when we find ourselves being our true selves. I'd have to say we find our true identity in Christ - then we live "true" to who we are from then on!

8 If we live, we are living for the Lord. And if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:8 ERV)

My "true self" apart from Christ is pretty "unlovable" - it made messes out of life's choices and created more than a little chaos in the lives of others who were just trying to love me. With Christ in my life, I'd have to say I am more "true" to self than I have ever been before - for I no longer have to live to impress myself or others - just to please him. Maybe this is why we find ourselves much more contented after we settle into this walk with Jesus - because we don't have to try so hard to find our sense of belonging or prove our worth in this lifetime.

I want to stop for just a moment to consider something referred to in modern day circles as "perfectionism". In today's economy, there is a high price put on those who can somehow conform to some image we expect of others. We place a premium upon what we see as the ideal employee, mate, leader, etc. We even pay a little more to gain the employee, seek out that mate, or elect that leader. Having lived for more than half a century now, I can assure you no one has really reached "perfection"! The premium we "pay" to attain perfection in ourselves or in others is a high price to pay and not always assured of the "return on our investment" we'd hoped to achieve!

Perfect doesn't exist this side of heaven. It takes heaven getting into us to even bring us close to the place we realize "perfection" - and then I don't even know if we "arrive" at that destination this side of actually being in heaven. We seek an unattainable goal in our natural ability or power. We strive for what cannot be created - but which exists in the one who created it all in the first place! Rather than seeking an elusive "standard" of perfection, maybe we'd do well to seek the one who IS perfection! Just sayin!

Stepping stone or stumbling block

12 I’m not there yet, nor have I become perfect; but I am charging on to gain anything and everything the Anointed One, Jesus, has in store for me—and nothing will stand in my way because He has grabbed me and won’t let me go. 13 Brothers and sisters, as I said, I know I have not arrived; but there’s one thing I am doing: I’m leaving my old life behind, putting everything on the line for this mission. 14 I am sprinting toward the only goal that counts: to cross the line, to win the prize, and to hear God’s call to resurrection life found exclusively in Jesus the Anointed.15 All of us who are mature ought to think the same way about these matters. If you have a different attitude, then God will reveal this to you as well. 16 For now, let’s hold on to what we have been shown and keep in step with these teachings. (Philippians 3:12-16 VOICE)

Walt Whitman's words caught my eye this morning: "I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am good as the best." If we think on that one a little in light of what Paul says to us in the Book of Philippians, we might draw the conclusion that none of us has "arrived" at perfection yet, but we are gaining on our goal toward "perfect behavior". The Lord declares us "perfect" in every way simply because we are joined in fellowship with Christ Jesus the moment we say "yes" to him as our Lord and Savior. Along the way we discover we need to embrace this "perfect" way of living in each and every one of our actions - until all our behavior aligns with what God has declared to be true about each of us. Actions don't just automatically align with being declared perfect - we have to reign in the bad ones, practice the better ones, and repeat the cycle until the best ones are the consistently practiced ones!

Note what Paul tells us about those things we view as obstacles or roadblocks along the way - NOT ONE will stand in our way. Why? It is simple - we are in the hands of Jesus and he won't let us go! We all probably experience moments of frustration when our behavior isn't quite as it should be. It is like we beat ourselves up because "once again we failed" to do as we should, speak in a loving way, or exhibit the Christlike behavior we so desperately wanted to display when faced with that difficult relationship issue. We see these things as failures - I think God might want us to see them as stepping stones to discovering "perfection". Think about it - if you never experienced any type of failure, would you appreciate any type of accomplishment? I have known some seriously "smart" individuals who never failed a test in school, aced their SAT exams, sat their MCATs without missing a beat, and they still don't feel like they have accomplished anything.

I have failed more than one test in my lifetime - maybe it wasn't always a "classroom" test, but many other "tests" have been "assigned" to me and I just plain blew 'em! Those failures didn't stop me from "retaking" the test, though. In fact, they bolstered my determination to learn from what didn't work the first time and helped me to "change up" how I approached the test the next time. I haven't "arrived" at perfection when it comes to consistently modeling the behavior God wants to see in my life, but each inconsistency is an opportunity for me to move a little closer to realizing that goal. I use these as stepping stones, not stumbling blocks! You might just want to do the same! Stop focusing on those failed moments as stumbling blocks - begin to see them as stepping stones on your way to a goal you are certain (guaranteed in Christ Jesus) to achieve in his power and through his grace!  You aren't stumbling alone - you are also not stepping across those stones alone either. Just sayin!

Attracting the right attention?

Commitment has a way of drawing attention at times, doesn't it?  Get "into" something with all your heart and you will find there are others who will find fault in your pursuit!  If you haven't figure it out by now, God is interested in how we will respond when we are criticized, put down, or when others try to "undo" something we are in the process of doing.  Most of their interference and resistance is really without cause, so a response of telling them they don't know what THEY are doing, or THEY are being unfair seems pretty logical to me.  God's desire is for us to respond differently.  In fact, scripture tells us we are to "put up with" being treated badly, even when there is no good reason for the way we are being treated (I Peter 2).  Our response matters.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 5:10 NIV)

You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.  (Matthew 5:10 MSG)

Our values often differ from the values of others.  Get your values in alignment with what scripture teaches and they will likely differ a great deal from what the mindset of the majority would dictate.  This is what causes us to have a little more of a "target" painted on our chest, isn't it?  We "stand out" because we "stand up".  Anytime you are willing to stand up for whatever it is you value and the values you have chosen to adhere to, there will be others who will try to get at you by their differing opinion or outright resistance to what it is you stand for.  If you have ever tried to live according to the "opinions" of others, you probably have known the frustration of trying to hit a moving target.  Opinions change, don't they?  So, if we are trying to live by what another chooses for us, we are certain to be living a life which is up and down, here and there, and without any real stability at all.  

I think there is merit in understanding how Jesus wants us to really live.  We find this out in our review of scripture, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us truths which will release us from those things which only serve to keep us in mindsets (and heart-sets) which will give us challenges and pain.  We also find this out in our listening to the right voices - not the loudest opinions.  If you haven't picked up on this by now, the softest voices are sometimes the clearest and closest.  The loudest are demanding, but they may not give that much clarity!  We have to do both - allow our minds and hearts to be made right AND learn to hear the right voices.

As I came through Bible College back in the early 80's, my professor spoke some words I penned into the pages of my Bible and have often referred to over the years.  His advice:  Live in such a way that no one can accuse you - even so as to not give the appearance of any wrongdoing in your life. A pretty loft goal, right?  The context of where he shared these words was in a discussion of morality.  He was speaking particularly to those circumstances when you find yourselves totally innocent in what it is you are doing, but where another may "interpret" what you are doing as something less than innocent (because of the "appearance" which is portrayed).  His example was that of a man and woman having lunch together at a local cafe.  One is married, the other not.  To the outsider who knows this fact, the "lunch" may not appear as "innocent" as it really is.  Living in such a way so as to avoid even the appearance of evil is really tough business, but it gives those who want to find fault with your actions one less thing to grab onto!

Here's one thing I have discovered over the years:  Those who want to persecute us don't point out our good points!  They point out our areas of weakness, don't they?  They zero in on the one thing they know about us which is a small area of weakness and use it to magnify they view of what it is they want to focus on.  Most of life's "persecuting" moments are really centered about pointing out our weaknesses, not our strengths.  So, maybe this is why we work so hard to "cover up" our weaknesses!  We somehow figure if no one can "see" them, they cannot use them against us!  Ha!  Now that's a good one!  Try as we might, our weaknesses are visible even behind the best of facades!  They may not be as they appear to us, but they are evident, nonetheless.  A masked weakness is still a weakness - it makes us a target, maybe just not for the right reason!

One thing for certain - God doesn't make perfect Christians.  He embraces sinners, complete with all their imperfections.  It is sometimes those very imperfections which get the attention of those who want to point them out and zero in on us for their attack.  All we can do is allow God to take our imperfections clearly into his care and cover them with his grace.  When we are attacked for them, we just need to allow his grace to shine through.  God knows these issues already and is at work in us to change those things he has in mind to change within us.  Our enemies and those with differing opinions will point them out so as to discredit the work of Christ in our lives.  We need to stand on the knowledge of God's grace being at work in those areas - despite the evidence others may see which shows we are not yet perfect!

There is something God wants of us:  Follow him close enough so others see a little bit of him in us.  They may not see ALL of him in us yet, but if they at least catch a glimpse of him in us, we are following as we should.  We may attract some negative attention because we still haven't had all the "rough edges" smoothed out in our lives, but when others can see enough of Jesus to know he is at work "smoothing us out", we are living as we ought.  Just sayin!

No "perfect package" here!

All together - a term used to indicate someone has a "complete package" as it comes to talents, treasures, looks, ability, etc.  For most of us, we give a good impression of having it "all together", but in reality, it takes a whole lot of duct tape and bailing wire to keep it that way!  I think it takes a whole lot of work and emotional effort to live that way.  In fact, I had decided a long time ago the "all together" / "complete package" just didn't "fit" who I wanted to be in this life.  It took a while to get to the point of not being afraid to let others know where my edges were a little frayed and my hems not all even! Yet, in the willingness to "get real" with others, there has been a liberty like no other.  Truth be told, the ability to be real with others only came when I realized others aren't "spurred on" in this race toward Christ by the "perfect package" they see.  In fact, the perfect package kind of intimidated them!  It overwhelmed them - almost making them cower away in fear because the "perfect package" piece seemed just too hard to lay hold of.

I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.  (Philippians 3:12-14 MSG)

More than enough time has gone into "appearing" one way and "acting" another.  It no longer matters that I be the "complete package" because I realize we are all in this together - no one really stands out as the "subject-matter-expert" here.  We all require someone to reach out and to draw us along at times.  None of us is above tiring.  None is above quitting.  When we feel this way, we need the hand of another to pull us on and to be the voice of encouragement we need to so desperately hear.

What brought me to this point in life?  Simply put, I recognized I needed what others offered, but they wouldn't offer because I was so unapproachable.  As long as I remained as a "perfect package", no one even wanted to approach me, much less really be an encouragement in my life! What I had to realize is the similarities we all have in this walk - we all need a little hand-holding now and again!  So, Christ reaches out to us through another, spurring us on. Some might struggle with this whole "hand-holding" idea, but in reality, we need it more than we often realize.

In the next passage within this same chapter, Paul tells us we need to keep focused.  Focus is not only a personal thing, but it is also a community thing. We often don't see what is right in front of us.  My pastor puts it this way: "The eye cannot see the eye".  In other words, we need others to see the splinter in our eye!  Focus is impacted by the splinter we cannot see around! When we want refined focus - wee need others to help us refine it.  God gave us these individuals so we might get perspective through a different set of eyes.  

If you don't realize the benefit of a different set of eyes on a circumstance, consider the last time you needed assistance to get the most out of your tax return, or to find the one loose wire under the hood of your car that kept it from running right.  I could have read all kinds of self-help books until I finally figured it out on my own, but the tax accountant knows more of the law around the tax code than I could ever hope to learn through one of the self-directed manuals.  The mechanic actually knows what wires make my car do the crazy things cars do.  I need them to give me perspective at times.  You are no different.  The different vantage point of another is often the one vantage point we don't consider ourselves when faced with the challenges in our character, choices, or circumstances.

All God ever asks of us is to get running.  He takes care of the rest.  He beckons us onward.  He prepares the path.  We need the encouragement of a few "coaches" along the way, don't we?  Even the best prepared athlete did not get their on their own.  They needed the benefit of others showing them how it is done.  Don't be afraid to "get real" with another.  Being a little too "perfect" in your "package" is not going to endear you to anyone.  Being willing to be "real" is what connects you to another.  Just sayin!

What do you see reflected?

Have you ever told yourself something only to find out in the end you were really just fooling yourself?  Until we actually look in the mirror, we don't see what is likely right in front of us all the time.  Even when we look into the mirror, we may not see exactly what we thought was there - because the mirror is clouded over with some film.  If you have ever taken a hot shower in a closed room, you find the mirror becomes all coated with the steam.  The coating on the mirror actually keeps you from seeing an accurate appearance of who you are.  Even if you try to wipe the steam away a little, the image you may see is still a little distorted by the remaining particles of water gathered on the mirror.  In actuality, the "image" never changes, just the reflection does!

If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.  (1 John 1:8-10 MSG)

John calls attention to this "reflection" process.  Here he presents a unique situation - if we claim to be free of sin, we are actually not seeing an accurate reflection of our true self.  As he states very certainly - we are just fooling ourselves (in fact, no one else is fooled - just us).  He calls this claim errant nonsense.  Errant - deviating from the regular course.  We usually call this deviation "straying".  Nonsense - conduct or action that is senseless or absurd.  In other words, John likens denying we are "sinless" as straying from what makes sense and can be considered a little absurd.  

On the other hand, if we admit our sin - we have an advocate to help us see our sin in the right perspective, but more importantly, we have the advocate to BRING us into right perspective.  There is no one more capable of bringing things into right perspective than Christ himself.  He does more than wipe the steam from the mirror, he also removes the sleep from our eyes.  He awakens us from our slumber - our inattentiveness.  By so doing, he brings us face to face with the "true us" - but as he sees us, not as we see ourselves.  

It is one thing to finally see ourselves - it is quite another to be brought into the right light.  As I have been teaching over the past couple of weeks, what seems obvious actually helps build an awareness of the obscure - but only if we are willing to see as we are seen.  Too many times, people tell me they are good and don't need a Savior.  The truth is no one is good enough to not need a Savior.  Those who admit they need a Savior often don't accept the finished work of the cross as the true "reflection" of who and what they are today.  They tell themselves the reflection they see is something other than what Christ sees.  

Here's the cold, hard truth - Christ sees us differently that we most often see ourselves.  Sure, he sees our sinfulness.  Yes, he sees our short-comings.  Definitely, he sees the moments of straying.  Yet...in all this, he sees something we often don't - himself!  Looking again at what John presents here, he says when we ask Jesus to "clean our mirrors", he does a thorough job so the reflection seen is one which bears only his image - no the image of our former life.  He sees the new - we focus on the old.  He clears away the gathered "steam" - we strain to see past it.  

What happens when we don't see an accurate reflection of ourselves?  We second-guess our ability and this affects our availability.  When we don't see ourselves as "matching" the image Christ sees, we don't feel worthy to be used by him.  We don't feel the purpose we fulfill is really all that worthwhile.  We even begin to question if we really will ever change.  Reality check here, folks!  You are a new creation in Christ Jesus - as such, you have already been transformed and as you continue to go through the process of seeing your actions align with your new image, he is right there alongside, still seeing you exactly as he has made you - perfect in every way.  God will be true to himself by making perfect what he declares to be perfect.  He keeps the image of our perfection before him - maybe we'd do well to begin to focus on this reflection instead of the one we've been considering for so long!  Just sayin!

Dress me well!

Direct:  The shortest course to something or someone; proceeding in an unbroken line.  If you have ever had "direct access" to someone by using a special "back line", you know this access has some special meaning.  In fact, if someone trusts you enough to give you the "back line" number, this says much about the relationship, doesn't it?  In healthcare, we have some remote monitoring capabilities these days, allowing an individual to observe a bank of monitors, video feeds, etc., all in the interest of observing the condition of the patient.  One of the features of this type of remote monitoring is the capability of reaching someone immediately when changes are observed.  It is imperative to have a "back line" feature built into this type of monitoring capability.  Why?  Changes occur rapidly and to intervene in the right timing, with the most purposeful and accurate actions, access must be guaranteed.  I wonder if the same applies with change in our lives?

By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise.  (Galations 3:25-27 MSG)

Paul writes to the Galations about this "immediate access" we now have as a result of the actions of Christ on our behalf.  In fact, the church at Galatia were split - some coming from the Jewish faith and others being "engrafted" into the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ.  This split caused some strife which required Paul's intervention.  You see, the Jewish believers were still hung up on the need to "perform" their way TO God.  The non-Jewish believers only knew about the actions God performed on the way to BRINGING them to God.  One saw what they had to DO, the other saw what God had already DONE.  So, as he concludes the analysis of this discourse, he draws out the point of it not being what we DO, but what has been DONE on our behalf which gives us ACCESS to the tremendous storehouse of God's grace and power.  Immediate access guaranteed not because of a set of rules one keeps, but because of the actions of someone "intervening" on our behalf through the means established to accomplish this action on our behalf - much like the doctors who remotely monitor the patients in our hospitals today.

The means for direct access to the throne-room of God is nothing more than Christ himself.  He is the "direct line", so to speak, to all we need for both our salvation and our sanctification (the cleaning up of our actions, attitudes, and thoughts).  We are in "direct relationship" with God himself - no need for a middle man, nor is there a need for anyone to intervene on our behalf - we have access ourselves (the back line).  With this thought well-established, Paul puts out another thought we will focus on this morning - the idea of not just being "washed up" for a fresh start, but being "fully attired" in a wardrobe befitting this relationship.  If you have ever observed the "wardrobe" changes of others, you are likely to see some very interesting changes which occur over the course of growing more mature.  

As a younger person, the more trendy and "hip" fashions may have an appeal. If you have ever tried some of these "trendy" fashions, you will likely admit some had merit because they were comfortable, required very little upkeep, and just made you feel good.  Others, while making you look good, were a little less comfortable and took a great deal of attention to keep the "look" just right.  As we grow older, some of the "fashions" we thought were really "good" on us seem to change.  If you don't think I am right on this matter, then I only have to ask how many of you go home, remove your "trendy attire" and then lounge in something with elastic at the waistline?  As we grow a little more mature, we see the "hip" trends of today becoming a little less important.  In fact, we likely "settle into" a certain "style" for our attire which really is more practical, easier to keep up, and makes no particular statement.  

I have to ask what "statement" you are making with your "attire"?  In the natural sense, you could probably size me up as "predictable" or "practical" - coming to this conclusion because I wear a lot of basic colors and an vary my tops only slightly to add a splash of color to the mix.  My clothing allows me to be flexible - neat, but practical.  In a spiritual sense, my "attire" is not much like my outward attire, though.  In the most literal sense, I am clothed with grace - something I need to wear often - almost like an undergarment.  It is worn quite close to my heart.  As such, it covers my most intimate parts - parts Jesus sees, but the world often does not.  I am also clothed with perfection - not my own, but that of Christ.  This is almost like an outer garment - something which puts "on display" the actions of grace in my life.  Grace is the undergarment, but Christ's perfection is the outer.  Both fit very well, are quite "comfortable" to wear, and are really an "attire" chosen by the most "fashionable"!

I wear other garments, as well.  Sometimes I need to don the garment of praise - lifting my spirit into the realm of rejoicing which bolsters my mind, filling me with delight.  This garment is kind of like the jeweled blouse, frilly and beautiful.  It delights the eye, catches the attention of the one it is worn for, and dazzles his heart.  I also don a protective garment - much like a person would don a raincoat in wet weather.  Is it not the purpose of this garment to keep me dry on the inside of that outer garment?  The protection it provides is only good if I put it on.  So, in in order to be in a place of protection, I must be prepared with the garment.  This is more of a practical garment - not very "pretty" as you look upon it, but very protective in its purpose.  

So, what do all these garments have to do with having the "back line" to God?  I think it might have something to do with knowing someone oversees our "dressing" each day.  God gives us new grace each day, to attire our hearts.  He gives us fresh garments of perfection, to revitalize our minds and bring purpose to our actions.  He offers new jewels and frills through our times of praise - so our spirits remains constantly adorned with that which reflects the beauty within.  We only need to "pick up" the "back line" to find access to all we need in the way of our "attire".  We don't have to weave the fabric ourselves.  We don't have to construct the garments on our own.  They are prepared for us - we access them via the "back line" - direct access through Christ Jesus.  Just sayin!

I am not mature!

Mature:  Fully developed in body or mind; complete; perfected; ready; prepared.  Now, how many of you will say you are mature?  In society today, we often think of maturity as reaching a certain age - the age of "legality".  In other words - it is a measure of chronological years, not so much a measure of anything on the inside of the person.  The problem with this way of thinking is that we often have a whole lot of "mature-looking" individuals walking this earth, but they really lack the evidence of maturity in the emotions, mind, or their spirit.  Chronologically, they are "of age" - spiritually, emotionally, or intellectually, they are still immature.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.  (Ephesians 4:11-16 MSG)

The idea of maturity carries several very focused meanings.  First, there is this idea of being fully developed.  Having lived with some fruit trees in my backyard as a kid, I know it takes some time for the fruit to come to a place of being developed enough to actually eat it.  As an orange "matures", it goes from a solid green color, to a light yellow, and then a full-bodied orange color.  The chance you take in plucking it too early from the tree is the arresting of the maturing process.  You might see it continue to change color a little, but the "full-bodied" taste of the orange is produced best while it still attached to the source of its maturing!  Now, in a spiritual sense, the place of maturing for a believer is not detached from the branch!  It is in finding a good connection with others who will actually aid your development that maturity is realized.  

Second, readiness is evident in maturity.  If you have ever waited any length of time for a child to be "ready" to leave for a destination they may not actually "want" to go to, you will know exactly what I am speaking of here!  The child "knows" the destination - but they aren't "ready" to get there.  They dilly-dally with the silliest things - taking forever to find their shoes, comb their hair, and get their jacket from the last place they threw it aside.  Now, if we are still doing this as we come into adulthood, most of us would never make it out the door to work in the morning!  We learn to do even the things which don't really thrill us - because we have come to a place of maturity which "overrides" our desire to stay in bed!  There is a readiness to arise in the morning, greet the new day and its challenges, and then come home to do it all over again.  In the spiritual sense, readiness is a key indicator of our level of maturity.  When God asks us to take a step with him, do we balk?  Or are we "ready" to move into what he has for us?  

So, how is it we get to this place of maturity, complete in every way?  I don't know about you, but I haven't arrived yet, but I am on the journey!  Maturity is more than a "time" in life - it is a consistent development process, never fully ended until it is ended.  My pastor says the biggest room in your house should be the room for improvement (Pastor Chad Moore).  If you think about this, he is right.  When we think about being mature, we sometimes think we have arrived at a point in life where there is no further need for "maturing" - almost like a wine maker might say a wine has reached its "perfection".  None of us actually reaches the point of perfection - if we think we do, we are only fooling ourselves.

The best we can ever do is stay in a place which allows us to mature - like the orange attached to the tree.  If we begin to see the resources God has provided for our growth (maturity), we will begin to see the benefit of being rightly connected for however long it takes!  Ever eat fruit which is ripened too quickly - it lacks taste, may be a little bitter, and is dry.  In contrast, the fruit which is allowed to develop to its point of maturity "connected" to its source of development has not only a different appearance on the outside, but the inside is quite different, too.  The pulp of a mature orange is full of juice - it has a robust taste, emanates a pleasant aroma, and is sweet to the one taking it in.  The same is true of spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually.  Stay connected to the source of maturity and you will find you produce a "robust" taste, a pleasant aroma, and are not as bitter!

The outside may be deceiving - just looking mature doesn't make us mature.  It is in focusing on what is on the inside that we begin to actually "actualize" maturity.  Readiness is a result of preparation.  Being complete is a result of being perfected.  When we want to do well at something, we just don't launch out and expect to do it well the first time.  We have to prepare - to perfect our skill.  Let's not get the cart before the horse - we have lots and lots of room for improvement in our lives before any of us can actually say we are "mature".  Just sayin!

Get it together, would you!

I am not sure of the exact point in life where I developed the "bent" to be a little bit too much of a perfectionist, but the desire to always succeed, always get it done, always have myself together, etc., just about drove me nuts!  Not to mention the other people in my life!  The perfectionist takes life way too seriously!  I have a message of hope for those of us who suffer way too much from "having it all together".  The focus on always having it together leaves very little room for the spontaneity God needs for us to have in service to him.


Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.  (Psalm 51:16-17 The Message)


David said it well - going through the motions doesn't please God, nor does having our act all together!  Both are extremes, aren't they?  One is the extreme of just being in the game, but not really having any "skin" in the game.  The other is one of having to be the one in "control" of the game!  Neither one is impressive in God's book.  


Perfectionists have a difficult time with their own performance - not allowing God to really be the "evaluator" of it.  Perfectionists don't like to fail and they about drive themselves crazy when they do!  In avoiding failure, they often don't take risks outside of their "comfort zone".  I want to let you in on a little secret - I have probably learned the most valuable lessons in my failures!  Without the failures, I'd never have grown in the areas where I have.  It was these failures which challenged me beyond my capacity - actually expanding my spiritual growth.  The willingness to step out of my "comfort zone" was the first step to overcoming my "need" to be "perfect" in all I did.


Perfectionists also drive others nuts - because their demands extend beyond themselves.  By our "drive" to be perfect, we often expect others to rise to the same level.  When they don't, we get really wigged out.  We either experience the extremes of disappointment at their "performance", or we try to intervene to "help" the other "get it right"!  Sound familiar to any of my fellow perfectionists?  Whenever we step in, taking over control again, we are either "enabling" the other to perform poorly, or we are keeping them from ever developing the "skills" they need.  Either way, we are simply maintaining control and the other is pushed away in the process.


The hardest lesson for the perfectionist is found in the passage above.  David sums it up very well - we learn the most when our pride is shattered.  Perfectionists have a hard shell - difficult to penetrate.  Sometimes, it takes a little work for God to bring us to the place of humble examination of our hearts.  When the moment comes...we can either embrace it, or pull away in absolute horror at the possibility of "losing control".  Pull away and we will miss out on one of the "teachable moments" God has prepared for us.  Embrace it, allowing God to penetrate the thick shell of our pride, and we will likely find a new facet to our character we had never seen.


Perfectionists often struggle with pride.  Here's another little insight from my own life - nothing I possess in the way of talent, knowledge, or expertise compares to the greatness of my God!  The very best day with me in control of everything is really just a joke compared to the ability of my God when I finally yield control to him.  In the "risk-taking" of trusting God with control, I might fail - you might, too.  In the "risk-taking", we do something outside of our "comfort zone".  God can do much with those who are willing to "step out" of the lines we have drawn for ourselves - lines which only serve to keep us bound up in sets of rules, demands, and unrealistic expectations.


So, I know this does not come as a "popular" lesson to the perfectionist - but it is truth. God needs to get "inside" our lines and he needs to get us "outside" of those lines.  The pride which drives us to the point of perfection is actually driving us further away from what God desires for us - freedom in Christ.  In the failure, the lessons are enormous - and they are freeing.  In the rigidness of remaining in control - these lessons are missed.  The perfectionist protects himself, but he drives others away.  God's perfection is infinitely more complete than ours could ever be - and it doesn't repel others, it draws them near.  We have much to gain in "giving up" what we so desperately hang onto.  In our "giving up", we are actually "allowing in" what we so desperately need - God's help!  Perfectionists don't like to admit they need help - but from one perfectionist to another - we definitely need help!  Just saying!

Just a Mirror-Image

As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process.  (Hebrews 10:11-13  The Message)

So many times we go about life trying hard to perfect what God has already declared perfect!  We try to "pretty up" our lives, only to find that God has done that already in the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus.  We are challenged by the struggle between what God "declares" us to be and what we see when we look in the mirror!  

I find comfort in these verses quoted above.  Look at what God has said to us:

1)  One sacrifice was made - that was it!  No other sacrifice is any longer necessary to satisfy the "standard" God requires to bring about righteousness in our lives.  Try as we might, we can do nothing more than what Jesus has already done!

2)  Jesus is in a position of waiting for his enemies to "cave in".  What that suggests to us is that Jesus is in a position OVER our enemies, but that he has not eradicated them!  That means that Satan and his gang are still around, being "influences" in today's culture.  Try as they might, they won't win!  It is a real struggle on the part of God's enemies to overtake what Jesus has OVERCOME.  It just won't happen.  What God has declared DONE is DONE.  That means that when God declares us his kids, under his care, it is a DONE DEAL!

3)  A perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some pretty imperfect people.  Whew!  Those are a whole lot of "perfects"!  Jesus was that perfect person - and if you have not figured it out yet, we are those imperfect people in need of a perfect sacrifice to perfect us!  The fact is, we are perfected in Christ.  No other relationship has such significance in our lives.  No other pursuit or alignment with any religious effort will do what that one sacrifice does!  

4)  Our part in this whole thing is to "take part" in it.  That's it!  Nothing more, nothing less.  In other words, we take the steps God asks of us - steps of obedience as he reveals them to us.  Nothing more.  The most amazing thing to me is that even when we struggle with obedience, God has already made a way for us to overcome that struggle!  That way is found IN CHRIST.

When God "declares" us righteous, he is making an "official" statement about our lives.  He is "going on record" that we are indeed in right standing with him.  We may look in the mirror, see the old character traits still evident in our lives, but in Christ, God only sees our perfection.  That is good news!  As we take the steps of obedience God desires - sometimes these are baby steps - we begin to see evidence of what God has declared!  Our "mirror image" begins to change!  We begin to reflect the character of Christ instead of the character of a sinner.

Just some thoughts about "mirror images" today.  What do you see when you look in the mirror of God's Word?  Do you see yourself as God sees you?  If not, perhaps it is time look a little closer at what God has declared about you in his word.  He has made you a new creation!  All things of the old life are passed away - all things are made new in Christ.  Embrace the freshness of the image God sees when he looks at you!  Imperfect people made perfect in the perfect image of his perfect Son!

Bargain Basement Finds

² Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
   God probes for what is good. 

 ⁹ We plan the way we want to live,
   but only God makes us able to live it.

(Proverbs 16:2, 9)

Have you heard the term "window shopping"?  It refers to the action of simply being out "aimlessly" traversing the paths of the mall, in and out of shops, sometimes finding an item or two we "just must have", and at other times, just getting ideas about what we will come to "dream about".  We are accustomed to the idea that we look for what "appeals" to us.  If it "moves us", we say we are influenced to make the purchase and claim it as our own.

The problem with this type of "shopping" is that we often buy what looks good and not what has the lasting / enduring qualities of a "good purchase".  We tend to follow the "fads" rather than to be making quality decisions.  The fact is stated very well in our passages today - we are "satisfied" with whatever looks good!  We stop short of what is "best" and settle for what is "good" simply because it appeals to our senses!

God's focus is a little different - he probes for what IS good.  That means he has to be a whole lot more discriminating than to just go after the first thing that appeals to him!  So, if I am to be living after the pattern I see (God), then I need for his way of doing things to become my way of doing things.  The idea is that he has to dig a little deeper in order to find the quality he is seeking.  

Why do you think stores put up all those displays at the end of the aisles or just as we enter the stores?  It is because they want to encourage us to buy what we see first!  If they get us to "buy" what is easiest to find, they often get us to buy what we don't even really need!  It just appears to be a good bargain, so we latch onto it.  In the end, we often are disappointed with the quality of our purchase, or the way it affects us.

God knows that what is best for us may not come the easiest to us.  We need to dig a little deeper in order to truly get what is best!  We might actually have to take our plans to him in order to see that they are not the best for us! We make all kinds of plans - but it is God that sorts them out and shows us which one of those plans is really like settling for the "alluring bargain" on the end of the shelf!  

Do you know what a bargain is?  It is an "advantageous purchase acquired at less than the usual cost".  The fact is that truly real "bargains" are rare!  We see all kinds of "advertised" bargains in life, but the reality is that they are seldom "advantageous" for us!  God's plan for us is to help us sort out the "true" or "advantageous" stuff from the "junk".  The next time we find ourselves being allured by the seemingly "advantageous" bargain in life, we might want to stop long enough to ask God if that is really part of his plan for us!

God's only goal is that we will have what is good and perfect for our lives.  He wants to keep us from making rash decisions that end in misery.  He hopes to keeps us from the enticement of just "settling" for the bargains in life.  Remember this....what costs us little is rarely of any real value!  His goal is that we have things and people that are of value in our lives.  I'm not just referring to the physical stuff here, like the TVs or Bedroom Furnishings, but things like solid relationships, the biblical strength to withstand temptation, and the honor of a good reputation.  These are rarely "bargain basement" items!

Give me space!

I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it.  Do what you do so well:
      get me out of this mess and up on my feet. Put your ear to the ground and listen, give me space for salvation.  Be a guest room where I can retreat;
      you said your door was always open! You're my salvation—my vast, granite fortress. 

(Psalm 71:1-3)

One of the things that I find amazing in scripture is just how many times we have the idea of "running to", "seeking", "hiding within", etc., as we examine the various responses we have toward the safety of God.  We run to him - hoping to find the answers we need.  We seek him out - because we cannot possibly find any other source like him.  We hide within the shelter of his wing - knowing that our enemies cannot possibly overtake us when we are that close to his heart.  Our psalmist reminds us that we will never live to regret these steps we take toward God!

Well, the simple truth is that we often run to God, seek his shelter, and look for him to hold us near when we are in trouble!  It is a natural response to "run to" what gives us security and safety.  Here, we find the honesty of our psalmist - he is in a mess!  Probably a man-made mess, at that!  He has fallen - why else would he have to ask God to put him back up on his feet again?  The fact is, we also find ourselves in some pretty awkward places - man-made messes that leave us fallen and in the mire of our sin.  Just like the psalmist, we call out for God to "fix" what we cannot.

That is what the psalmist is counting on - that God will fix what he cannot.  There are times when we just don't have the answers to our challenges.  We continue to fall into the same sin over and over again.  We feel defeated and like we just cannot get back on our feet.  I call this being in the mully grubs.  It is the state where we feel hopeless, depressed, and all alone in our issues. I think that is where the psalmist finds himself.

The next words tell us much about how we "get out" of the mully grubs - we ask God to pull us out!  To give us space for salvation.  When we use the term today, "Give me some space," we are really saying we need time to see something worked out.  Our psalmist says he wants God to give him space for salvation - I think he is asking God to give him mercy when he falls, pick him up again, dust him off, and let him set out again on the course God has designed for him.  

We all know that we will fall, don't we?  Sometimes I am amazed at how many Christians actually think that "salvation" implies walking "right" 100% of the time!  Guess what?  If we could do that, we'd be in heaven right now - because we would have reached perfection!  Until that time, we will fall!  Until that time, we will need God to "give us space" for salvation!

It is important to recognize that God "gives us space", but we should never take that "space" for granted - as though it were a license to live however we wanted.  In this "space" God gives us, he is transforming us little-by-little into the men and women he desires for us to become.  He is "working out" our salvation by "working out" our sin!  It is kind of like what we do when we re-model a house.  We begin with the demolition work (working out the old) and then we install the new stuff (seeing the transformation of the old into the beauty of the new).  

So, today you will need a little "space" for salvation to be worked out in your life.  Don't despair!  The good news is that God gives us that "space" and we ARE being transformed.  The demolition of the old may take a while and the construction of the new may seem like an unending task - but the work is underway!  You are a new creation in Christ Jesus - old things have passed away and all things have become new!